Monday, January 22, 2007

At its just completed winter meeting held January 17-19 in Arlington, Virginia, the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices voted 35-0-3 to endorse the shared lane marking ("sharrow") and forward it to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for potential inclusion in the next edition of the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). (Read more.)

I'm a big fan of "sharrows," which were introduced in San Francisco in 2004. The city's study demonstrated that "sharrows" improved roadway positioning of both bicyclists and motorists, getting cyclists well outside the dangerous "door zone," while drivers gave more clearance when passing. The "sharrow" also reduced wrong-way riding by bicyclists.

True, a Class II (on-street striped bike lane) facility is preferred. But where government agencies are reluctant to remove parking to create a bike lane, a "sharrow" is a great improvement. It legitimizes bicycling on streets, providing a strong visual cue to both motorists and bicyclists, transcending language barriers to clearly illustrate proper lane placement.Image: Paul Dorn. Sharrow on Steiner Street in San Francisco.Visit:"Sharrows" aim to help cars and bikes share roads, Christian Science Monitor, 08.31.05 Visit:Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Paul,People have different tolerances for having cars approach them at 40 miles an hour. I congratulate you for being one but I suspect you would be a bit alarmed if you saw a child riding in the middle of a lane.